July 1998.

16 months old, and Matthew has turned into a monster. He has started having tantrums and hitting out, although I think it stems mostly from tiredness. I was subtly reminded of this last night as I tried to cook dinner - and everything kept going wrong.... I really did feel like lying on the floor and screaming at one point! Anyway, I have decided to fight his aggression with my love. He won't cuddle up when he is really annoyed, I guess because it feels like restraint, but I can get him to lean on me and then I can stroke him and this seems to be very calming. Lots of kisses and gentle words also seem to help. I am trying my very best to treat him like this whatever his mood....

...and he does have his cute moments too. When I picked him up from nursery he was cooking "dinner" - he told me - he had toy food on toy plates in a toy oven, it was so lovely. And then on the way home he kept pointing thing out: "cars", and "dogs" and "lights" (traffic lights) and a new word "tree". Actually Matthew is very perceptive - I have always noticed this - but when I felt really ill this morning, instead of his usual tricks he kept cuddling me and stroking my hair! - Maybe it is nice having a toddler after all.

We had a very uneventful weekend at home..the highlight was cooking dinner with Matthew, who really enjoyed helping to prepare the mushrooms. He pulled the stalks out and then "got" them into pieces for my casserole! Sometimes he is so grown up, and he was really chuffed with himself for helping mummy!

We are having some success with the potty training, Matthew will use it quite often when he is reminded, and before his bath - when he doesn't have his nappy on - he can remember by himself. The tantums seem to have been tamed quite well too...the 'cuddles' method seems to be working. I'm am quite sure that tantrums are not a discipline thing, ie not due to under or over discipline - but just one of those things. I have found that we get less tantrums with 'reasoned' discipline though - "no more", or "wait", or "no, close the door and get your ball for mummy" get much better responses than just "no". I really try to avoid "no" most of the time... when I really mean "NO", like if Matthew is messing about by a road, then I just pick him up and move him. He seems to understand simple English quite well, so I try to explain why he shouldn't do something, in a way he will understand.

For my birthday my parents came to visit and the five of us had a lovely meal out. Matthew is very fond of his grandpa, and just for the weekend decided that it was much more fun to play with him than with mummy or daddy, which gave us a very welcome rest!

Matthew, June 1998		Matthew, August 1998
	Pregnancy, July 1998
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